A Q&A thread on the Iron Tower Studios Website offers a state of the franchise report for Dead State, since we haven't heard much about the zombie RPG since a recruiting post alsmost six months ago. They answer questions about details on how the game will operate, and discuss their upcoming plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help complete the project. Thanks Acleacius.

Beamer wrote on Apr 18, 2012, 13:25:But kickstarting consumers will just get pickier. No longer will they toss money at anyone that seems to be trying to make a good game and they'll give money to those trying to make a good game that appeals directly to them. Fewer $3 million insanities, more small niches.

Yeah, that multi-million well will run dry pretty quickly. I'm already in for $110, which is probably more than I spent on games all of last year. I'm still debating going into Grim Dawn for $18. I might wind up doing that, but unless something utterly AMAZING comes out, that's the end of my Kickstarts for this year.

The point of Kickstarter is to fund projects you have a passion for and really want to see completed. I can see being irritated with them if you look at it as the new standard, but it's not, or shouldn't be. All the games making headlines for kickstarter will also be for sale normally, just wait for that, unless you have a real passion for them.

Shadowrun Returns is the only one I cared enough about to support before it's finished.

I guess this is really just humanity at work... if people are willing to give money to people for future promises/products, then other people will ask for that money.

It's unnerving(to me anyway) that the Kickstarters have passed beyond games I considered "meh, maybe on sale" buys to games I had already promised myself I would buy when they were done.

One side of me says donate, quick, before they go bankrupt! Another side of me says don't give these bums a dime, they will spend it on crystal meth and whores, and go bankrupt anyway!

The investments/donations are really minor, to be honest; I'm getting hung up more on the principle.

Fair enough man but don't worry, it ain't like that. If these guys need Kickstarter or their game won't make it to market then a lot of them will be filling out a resume soon. Kickstarter is great but it's not going to replace all traditional funding and design methods, indie or otherwise. If it's just the volume that bugs you then I get that too but its just a new thing so there is a lot of experimentation going on. It'll calm down soon.

It's not a problem...yet. Once we start getting into everyone and his dog asking for money than it becomes an issue. Having to weed through tons of shoddy proposals looking for a gem isn't good. And don't forget that as we start to see projects that don't deliver - either fully or to the contributors expectations - you'll see this slow down a lot and people being much more careful about what they kick into.

“That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!”

While I have been eagerly awaiting a completed Dead State, surely not EVERY FUCKING GAME REQUIRES A KICKSTARTER.

How many donations/investments/preorders do these 'companies' honestly expect people to make? How the hell can NONE of these people get any funding through normal channels? Is it truly so bad that the only way to fund games, aside from the next CoD or whatever, is to beg for money?

I'm starting to picture the Indie scene shifting from self made success stories like the Minecraft guy(s) or better yet the Trine guys, to a bunch of Salvation Army bell ringers, standing next to a bus terminal.

Haha, I liked the salvation army bit man but seriously, I don't understand the problem. Fund the ones that interest you and ignore the ones that don't. It's like publishers with preorder spam and marketing except that it's nowhere near as obnoxious. It's a great way for developers to directly connect to consumers and while not every project will turn out as planned at least this gives both parties a shot at a better product.

They're not trying to guilt you into giving them money or something, if you want to just buy the end product then its your cash man. Kickstarter is a new thing for some of these indies so a lot are going to try their hand at it. The traditional indie self-made scene isn't going anywhere nor is the traditional AAA market.

It's like people complaining about the many indie bundles around. Simple solution, ignore them, they aren't forcing anyone to buy it and it's a great exposure for indie devs that lack any sort of marketing budget.

Kickstarter exists so people choose what they want to fund, simple as that. Dodgy projects fail, solid projects advance, as it should be. If there's too many projects is up to consumers to decide which ones fail and which ones succeed.

MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Apr 18, 2012, 13:01:Ok... this is getting ridiculous.

While I have been eagerly awaiting a completed Dead State, surely not EVERY FUCKING GAME REQUIRES A KICKSTARTER.

How many donations/investments/preorders do these 'companies' honestly expect people to make? How the hell can NONE of these people get any funding through normal channels? Is it truly so bad that the only way to fund games, aside from the next CoD or whatever, is to beg for money?

I'm starting to picture the Indie scene shifting from self made success stories like the Minecraft guy(s) or better yet the Trine guys, to a bunch of Salvation Army bell ringers, standing next to a bus terminal.

This is virtually free money to them, and easy money, so of course many developers are trying it this way before they enter into more formal agreements with someone that wants something more than a fun game and a t-shirt.

We're in the saturation point now, where everyone is doing this. It'll calm down a bit when the buzz dies, but so long as some people are successfully kickstarting everyone will try. You lose nothing trying (well, maybe. If you fail to attract attention here you'll probably get killed trying for institutional attention.)

But kickstarting consumers will just get pickier. No longer will they toss money at anyone that seems to be trying to make a good game and they'll give money to those trying to make a good game that appeals directly to them. Fewer $3 million insanities, more small niches.

While I have been eagerly awaiting a completed Dead State, surely not EVERY FUCKING GAME REQUIRES A KICKSTARTER.

How many donations/investments/preorders do these 'companies' honestly expect people to make? How the hell can NONE of these people get any funding through normal channels? Is it truly so bad that the only way to fund games, aside from the next CoD or whatever, is to beg for money?

I'm starting to picture the Indie scene shifting from self made success stories like the Minecraft guy(s) or better yet the Trine guys, to a bunch of Salvation Army bell ringers, standing next to a bus terminal.

Haha, I liked the salvation army bit man but seriously, I don't understand the problem. Fund the ones that interest you and ignore the ones that don't. It's like publishers with preorder spam and marketing except that it's nowhere near as obnoxious. It's a great way for developers to directly connect to consumers and while not every project will turn out as planned at least this gives both parties a shot at a better product.

They're not trying to guilt you into giving them money or something, if you want to just buy the end product then its your cash man. Kickstarter is a new thing for some of these indies so a lot are going to try their hand at it. The traditional indie self-made scene isn't going anywhere nor is the traditional AAA market.

While I have been eagerly awaiting a completed Dead State, surely not EVERY FUCKING GAME REQUIRES A KICKSTARTER.

How many donations/investments/preorders do these 'companies' honestly expect people to make? How the hell can NONE of these people get any funding through normal channels? Is it truly so bad that the only way to fund games, aside from the next CoD or whatever, is to beg for money?

I'm starting to picture the Indie scene shifting from self made success stories like the Minecraft guy(s) or better yet the Trine guys, to a bunch of Salvation Army bell ringers, standing next to a bus terminal.